


You Gotta Be There For Me Too

by wutthequiznack (birbsandemidogs04)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: A little bit of introspection into Lance's feelings post-s7, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-06-28 13:35:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15708285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/birbsandemidogs04/pseuds/wutthequiznack
Summary: Anyway, Lance should've kissed Keith.An alternate look at s7 ep 03.





	You Gotta Be There For Me Too

"Lance, lead the way. Keep the team together."  
The words were out of Keith's mouth too quickly, not forced but all the same all at once and Lance couldn't process everything at once.

Their group was large and tensions were high. Lance's mind was racing with so many different thoughts, mainly, _Is he leaving again?_ and _Why did he choose me and not Shiro or Krolia?_ and _Oh, quiznak, why is he leaving?_.

His temptation to swallow down his questions and just comply was overshadowed by the power of his concern and the force of his feelings. A year ago or even back before Keith left the team, Lance would not have questioned anything, would not have hesitated to lead the team to safety and let Keith or whoever was in charge do whatever the hell it was that they were bent on doing. He wouldn't have thought twice, his second thought being that whatever they were doing would be dangerous and what if they didn't come back or make it and then Lance would have to deal with the grief and guilt for the rest of his life -- because before, he didn't have a personal attachment that tore at his heart.

In the time that Keith had been gone Lance had had so much room to think, it had been unbearable. His mind had kept wandering to Keith -- it had been his worst enemy, almost like a second person who brought into the light how Lance really felt about his teammate. Before Keith left, Lance had felt as if they were getting somewhere, making progress -- he had felt comfortable talking to Keith, reassured that his concerns were heard and listened to. In one brief talk Keith had given him a confidence boost even in spite of his inability to keep up a conversation, that convinced him he still had a valued place on the team. His departure from the team caused Lance real distress, more than he would have thought possible for the extremely false fact that he felt nothing but comradery for Keith. Suddenly there was quite literally nobody for Lance to talk to -- sure, the Princess was there, but she had insecurities too and needed advice, she wasn't in much of a position to give it. He didn't want to burden her with his own problems.

Lotor weaseling his way into their lives had ushered in a new set of internal crises for Lance to deal with. He'd never felt as lost as he had when he saw Allura and Lotor together. By himself, he'd had to come to terms with the fact that she simply didn't think of him romantically. Without anyone to talk to it had taken an admittedly long time to arrive at this conclusion. It had been hard, but especially hard without advice, and had left Lance feeling as if he were drowning in a sea of emotions he had no way to drain.

Lotor betraying them hadn't made him feel any better, it had only made him feel worse as it came alongside the revelation that Shiro had not been himself the entire time. Suddenly, though it was of his own accord, Lance was having to put aside his feelings and comfort the others more than ever, at the same time struggling with his own negative mind that blamed himself for everything.

Keith came back in the midst of this turmoil and caused a rush of emotions to flood his brain, crowded in alongside everything else but by no means less relevant. Now he was questioning his own sexuality, something he'd always been sure about. But he wasn't bothered by it initially, admired Keith's new, bigger appearance with only a little bit of shock somewhere in his mind and started to think maybe he'd been questioning himself the whole time, for so long, that he was used to it and could live with this tiny addition to everything. However he didn't let it or anything else get in the way of the mission at hand -- the stakes were always higher than whatever he was feeling, he had to put it all aside and focus like never before. The first and only time he'd broken down in tears before anyone was afterwards, when Shiro had been revived.

Now that Keith was back and Lance was only partially angry at him for having left at all, he had begun to notice his ability to focus better, to laugh easier, to think clearer. He was bantering again, grinning again. Of course, it had something to do with Keith, but that was something Lance was choosing to keep in the back of his mind for now.

Presently his worries were returning. Keith looked determined to leave again -- and of course, he would follow after them eventually, he had to, but him going off alone was way too reminiscent of the past for Lance and brought back a churning in his gut. He barely noticed his eyebrows sinking low and straining, making lines and dips in his forehead, the way he reflexively frowned whenever he would draw someone else frowning as a kid. But that could not be more different than this. This was life or death.

There was more panic than he'd anticipated in his voice when he tossed out, "Wait, where are you going?" -- and it was incredibly cliche, like one of those romance movie tropes, but it was so much deeper than that.

Keith turned to face Lance halfway, granting him at least that. "Acxa saved our skins," he told Lance, "I'm not gonna leave her behind."

And Lance knew it was because Keith was a leader now, that if he didn't go back he would be forever guilty, and Lance didn't know what kind of favours the two owed to each other so he didn't blame him -- honestly, he would react the same way. But so much was going on at once and in the end Lance was only a teenager. Worries that Keith would leave again and this time never come back were infiltrating his vulnerable brain as a consequence of his new and old feelings and fears. It was silly but it wasn't and Lance couldn't stay quiet. He wouldn't let Keith turn around. He couldn't.

On instinct he reached out and grabbed Keith's arm, wished somehow that he could convey his desperation for him to -- he didn't even know -- be safe? Come back? Not go at all? How could he express so many turbulent things at once when he wasn't even sure what he was going through?

Keith's gaze trailed from Lance's arm to his face and then he was removing his helmet for some reason, maybe to see him clearer. "Lance, I have to go now." he seemed to tell him, and it was coming from his eyes and Lance was hearing it, but he wasn't listening.

It was crazy. This was crazy. What he was about to do was crazy and he didn't know how to do it or why he felt compelled to do it -- he just did.

He was yanking Keith to him before anything could get the better of him -- or maybe this was his mind getting the better of him, because if he had it under control, this wouldn't be happening. Quiznak, he couldn't believe this was happening.

And then he felt Keith's forehead bump against his own and it was a desperate scramble to get to his lips and then when he did the chaos in his brain peaked into a crescendo but his thoughts became short and quick. Keith's lips were warm. It was as if he had been both expecting this and unprepared for it at the same time. Lance's eyes were squeezed shut, his hand still gripping Keith's arm for another few seconds after they parted. He breathed in puffs, his eyes were closing. He was tired all of a sudden. Exhausted.

Keith wasn't shocked, in fact he looked somewhat determined. Lance released his arm and flashed a smile under the guise of a grimace, hoping that he had told Keith more with that one kiss than he could ever have said in the short time they had left.

He couldn't say anything else anyway, so he nodded at Keith, who nodded back and gave Lance a short but telltale grin before putting his helmet back on and rushing away to help Acxa. Encouraged, Lance turned back to the team.

Keith did come back, much to Lance's relief. Now they only had to deal with the elephant in the room. And, of course, their enemies.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Call me crazy, but I still have a lot of hope for these two idiots to end up together. Honestly, I thought there were more explicitly romantic moments in this season than in the others. This fic was written by me in under half and hour and is mostly my musings on what Lance must be going through. I really hope they explore some of this turmoil in season 8, because Lance deserves an arc more than anyone else. 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!! 
> 
> Took the title from Troye Sivan's "There for you" because all his songs are honestly a klance mood and bring me to tears.


End file.
